Pickling machine



Dec. 8,1931. c, PKlNs 1,835,219

PICKLING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1' 5] 1s 4/ I 3 14 25 2/19 26' Z8 Z5 A t i n. (i U & E 1 g: 57 K l5 i 26 /-10 E 1 k 13 A 26 Z 5 1.7 ]2- 12 1/ I i t I 1/ gwuwntoz W7W 2 R C. h'opliz'lz Dec. 8, 1931. R. c. HOPKINS PICKLING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 gww/ntoz Dec. 8, 1931. R. c. HOPKINS PICKLING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 8, 1931 ROBERT C. HOPKINS,

OF ALLIANCE, OHIO PIOKLIN'G HACHDIE Application filed Kay 27,

The invention relates to apparatus for pickling rods, tubes or other shapes, and the objects of the improvement are to provide an apparatus including a drum arranged to be rotated within a tank containing the solution, conveyer means being provided longitudinally through the drum for removing material therefrom; means being provided for rotating the drum in one direction to 1 pickle the material and in the opposite direction to automatically unload the same; and to provide for the continuous pickling, neutralizing and washing or rinsing of material by locating a plurality of tanks in alinement, a rotatable drum being located within each tank and a continuous conveyer located longitudinally through all of the drums, whereby material may be automatically unloaded from one drum and discharged into the next drum and finally discharged from the apparatus.

The above and other objects may be attained by constructing the apparatus in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 1s a top plan view of one of the improved drums showing the same mounted within a tank and provided with a conveyer extending therethrough;

Fig. 2, a transverse sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3, a side elevation of the same with parts broken in section for the purpose of illustration Fig. 4, a side elevation partly in section, showing a plurality of the drums arranged in alincment with a single conveyer extending therethrough whereby material may be pickled, neutralized and rinsed in a single continuous operation,

Fig. 5. a plan view of a plurality of drums arranged in alignment in a single tank for handling long articles; and

Fig. 6, a side elevation partly in section, of the arrangement shown in Fig; 5.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive includes atank 10 formed of-wood or other suitable material for containing the 1929. Serial H0. 366,181.

acid solution, brackets 11 being mounted within the tank and having bearings 12 for rollers 13, the brackets and rollers being both preferably made of acid resisting metal and the bearings preferably having linings of IS grease impregnated wood, the grease being of such a nature as to resist the break-down effect of the acid.

The drum indicated generally at 14 is of cylindric form and provided at both ends 0 with the anular end plates 15. An end gate 16 may be mounted within the tank adjacent to each open end of the drum, thus permit ting the same to be filled substantially to its center with material to be pickled.

Rings 17 are fixed around the periphery of the drum for engagement with the grooved rollers 13. These rings are preferably made in sections and attached by bolting, riveting or the like-to the drum and the splice in the 79 rings should be made by cutting the thread at an angle in the manner of the ordinary piston ring.

For the purpose of rotating the drum within the tank, a ring sprocket 18 may be fixed around the exterior of the drum and engaged by the chain 19 which runs over the sprocket 20 upon the shaft 21 connected through suitable reduction gearing 22 with a motor 23 mounted above the drum upon the structure 24.

The interior of the drum is provided with a plurality of longitudinally disposed inclined shelves 25, each having a pocket 26 formed upon one side. As will be hereinafter described, the drum is arranged to be rotated in one direction for pickling and in the opposite direction for unloading the pickled material, and for this purpose the motor 23 should be a reversing motor.

A feed trough 27 may be mounted upon one end of the tank and extended down through the adjacent open end of the drum for the purpose of conveying articles or material to be pickled into the drum. An unloading or discharging trough 28 may be extended longitudinally through the upper portion of the drum and supported by any suitable means independently of the drum. At the discharge end of said trough the same may be provided with the inclined angular portion 29 discharging into the inclined outlet chute 30.

A conveyer is provided extending into and entirely through the drum, within the unloading trough 28, and may he in the form of a chain belt, as shown at 31, or a screw conveyer, pusher or any other suitable mechanism may be employed.

This chain belt 1slocated around pulleys 32 and 33 spaced beyond opposite ends of the tank, the under strand of the chain passing through the drum in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, and the upper strand thereof returning above the drum. One of the sprockets may be driven as by a motor 34 through a suitable gear reduction 35.

In the operation of the apparatus, the articles to he pickled are charged into the drum by means of the chute 27 and the drum is r0 tated counter-clockwise, the shelves 25 agitating the articles within the acid solution and giving them a tumbling effect within the acid. Thus the combined effect of meehani cal and chemical treatment has been found to reduce the pickling time about one-half and conserves the acid in about the same proportion.

After the articles have been tumbled in the drum a sufficient time to properly pickle them, the motor 23 is reversed and the drum rotated in clockwise direction, picking up the articles in the pockets 26 and discharging them into the unloading trough 28.

The chain 31 being driven in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3 will convey the pickled articles forward in the trough, carrying them to the inclined discharge end 29 of the trough where they will be discharged into the chute 30. A chain brush 36 may, if desired, be located at the discharge end of the trough.

If it is desired to pickle, neutralize and wash or rinse the articles all in one continuous series of operations, a plurality of the tanks and drums may be located together in alinement, as shown in Fig. 4. Each tank and drum is constructed in the same manner, as above described, and all may be driven from the same drive means.

A drive shaft 21a may be connected to the shaft 21 and extended throughout the length of the apparatus for driving each drum and the chain 31a may extend through all of the drums and pass around a sprocket 33a at the far end of the device. Each unloading trough 28 will discharge into a chute 3011 which feeds the articles to the next adjacent drum.

The articles will be pickled in the drum designated at A and then unloaded and discharged into the drum B which may contain muriatic acid or the like for neutralizing, after which the articles are unloaded and discharged into the drum C Where they are rinsed or washed, being unloaded and discharged therefrom through the chute 30 in the manner above described.

In the event that it is desired to pickle rods, tubes or other long articles, the drum may be lengthened accordingly, preferably without increasing its diameter, or if desired, several drums may be placed in alinement within one tankas shown in Figs. 5 and (S, the rods or tubes being arranged to extend longitudinally through the several drums. In this case, the end plates and gates are removed from all excepting the outer ends of the two outermost drums; otherwise the construction and operation is the same as above described.

In Figs. 5 and (3 a series of aligned drums 146 are shown rotatably mounted in a single tank 106, and a single unloading trough 28b extends through all the tanks.

The drums may all be driven by the same drive means in a manner similar to the arrangement shown in Fig. 4. An endless con veyor chain 311) extends through the trough 28b, passing over a sprocket 336 at one end of the tank and a drive sprocket (not shown) at the other end of the tank.

.An end plate 156 and an end gate 166 is provided at the outer end of each of the two outermost drums; all other end plates and gates having been removed to accommodate long articles extending through all of the drums 14?).

Where the apparatus is set up in multiples, as illustrated in Fig. 4, in order to pickle, neutralize and rinse or wash the articles, a time control can be provided which will perform all of the operations so that it is only necessary for the operator to put material into the pickling drum and to see that the machine runs properly, the timing system taking care of the whole operation.

The timer can be soadjusted that the machines will unload in proper sequence so that material will be automatically pickled, neutralized and washed and unloaded from one drum to the next.

Although the drum and conveyer may both be operated by the same motor with a suitable clutch arrangement, it is obvious that where a battery of machines are placed together to carry out a continuous series of operations, as shown in Fig. 4, the drums and conveyer should be driven by separate motors or other independent driving means.

The several drmns, as shown in Fig. 4, may be driven from a single shaft, as illustrated in that figure, or each drum may be driven by a separate motor, and the timing accomplished by a slowly revolving disk having contact plates for throwing in the starting mechanism.

I claim:

1. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a drum rotatable within the tank, a substantially horizontal unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum, an endless chain operating through the trough for discharging articles therefrom, and shelves in the drum for unloading articles to said trough.

2. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a drum rotatable within the tank, a substantially horizontal unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum, a conveyer operating through the trough for discharging articles therefrom, and shelves in the drum for unloading articles to said trough.

3. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a cylindric drum having a length less than that of the tank open at both ends and rotatable within the tank, an end gate mounted in the tank and extending substantially to the center of and immediately adjacent to each end of the drum, means for tumbling articles within the drum, an unloading troughextending through the upper part of the drum and means for unloading articles from the drum into said trough.

4. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a cylindric drum having a length less than that of the tank open at both ends and rotatable within the tank, an end gate mounted in the tank and extending substantially to the center of and immediately adjacent to each end of the drum, means for tumbling articles within the drum, an unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum and shelves for unloading articles from the drum into said trough.

5. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a cylindric drum having a length less than that of the tank open at both ends and rotatable within the tank, an end gate mounted in the tank and extending substantially to the center of and immediately adjacent to each end of the drum, means for tumbling articles within the drum, a. substantially horizontal unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum, means for unloading articles from the drum into said trough, and a conveyer operating through the trough for discharging articles therefrom.

6. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a cylindric drum having a length less than that of the tank open at both ends and rotatable within the tank, an

5; end gate mounted in the tank and extending substantially to the center of and immediately adjacent to each end of the drum, means for tumbling articles within the drum, a substantially horizontal unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum, means for unloading articles from the drum into said trough, and an endless chain operating through the trough for discharging articles there rom.

7. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a drum rotatable within the tank, a substantially horizontal unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum, means for rotatin the drum in opposite directions, means wit in the drum for tumbling articles in the lower portion thereof when the drum is rotated in one direction and for unloading the articles into said trough when the drum is rotated in the opposite direction, and a conveyor operating through the trough for discharging the articles therefrom.

8. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a drum rotatable within the tank, a substantially horizontal unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum and having an inclined outer end portion, means for rotating the drum in opposite directions, means within the drum for tumbling articles in the lower portion thereof when the drum is rotated in one direction and for unloading the articles into said trough when the drum is rotated in the opposite direction, and a conveyor operating through the trough for discharging articles therefrom.

9. Pickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a drum rotatable within the tank, a substantially horizontal unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum and having an inclined angular outer end portion, means for rotating the drum in opposite directions, means within the drum for tumbling articles in the lower portion thereof when the drum is rotated inone direction and for unloading the articles to said trough when the drum is rotated in the opposite direction, and a conveyor operating throu h the trough for discharging articles theref iom.

10. Pickling ap aratus including a tank for containing so ution, a drum rotatable within the tank, a substantially horizontal unloading trough extending through the upper part of the drum, an endless chain operating throu h the trough for discharging articles therefrom, means for rotating the drum in opposite directions, and means within the drum for tumbling articles in the lower portion thereof when the drum is rotated in one direction and for unloading the articles into said trough when the drum is rotated in i the op osite direction.

11. ickling apparatus including a tank for containing solution, a series of aligned rotatable drums within the tank, a substantially horizontal unloading trough extendin through the upper parts of the drums, an en less chain operating throu h the trough for discharging articles there rom, and shelves in the drum for unloading articles into said trough.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed m name.

' ROBE T C. HOPKINS. 

